Thursday, March 14, 2019. In return for the help AHU gave us last year, in the first half of today we took pictures of the children and recorded their data in a small center supporting disabled children supported by them. Our lunch was again taken care of at our school (today it was also very delicious, rice with something like a spicy goulash with a lot of onions), then we discussed with the sports committee about the organization of the student Olympics and about possible alternative solutions if the trucks were to arrive with a further delay.
There is a lot of excitement about their arrival, because due to the unforeseen delay, we have already reversed the entire program, and yesterday the invitations were sent out to half the world for the opening of the IT hall on Monday. We have to build the IT room and the library for the opening ceremony and we also have to hand over the gifts, our weekend won't be boring either. So back to the Olympics, following the alternative solutions, the tennis ball became orange, which instead of a tennis racket has to be balanced on the children's blackboards while running, and the baton becomes a banana, and the tow rope becomes an excellent tool for the tug-of-war competition. When we showed them that they had to run while balancing an orange on the blackboard, they first laughed at how easy it was: then they fell over each other laughing when they tried it and fell down with a step. The Olympics will be early because of the heat, and we have calculated how much water the children will need, how many oranges, bananas, and blackboards will be needed. Then they negotiated that the soccer children would also get oranges, and even the cup would go to the winning soccer team, because that's really cool!
This was followed by another very important event: the mothers and grandmothers of the children already supported and the new ones accepted into the program (and even the fathers dressed for the occasion) came to the school, to the "parents' meeting" of the Foundation, for information and discussion - the result of which were common goals and it was a mutual and enthusiastic welcome of future plans, ideas that support and help the community. As they flowed into the school's simple courtyard in fancy, beautiful, colorful dresses, it was a sight like an exotic fashion show - but even more dignified, electrifying and hopeful! Lots of people came: the whole yard was filled with them! (There was a family where the parents were not at home when we visited yesterday: they came today dressed nicely and specifically asked us to take a photo of them with the child.)
It was translated into Bambara by the headmistress and one of the school's teachers: both blessed with real oratorical skills. The mention of our basic idea of Mandela triggered such deep and long-desired feelings and thoughts in them that, interrupting the interpretation from time to time, they further increased the enthusiasm of the electrified audience, who listened intently and hummed loudly in approval, with their speeches encouraging learning. Then, when asked what they thought about what was said, the parents started to come to us completely spontaneously to express their opinion on the ideas raised, to thank us for our work and to assure us that they welcome the realization of our common goals and are partners in it. In order to do this, they will sit down and prepare a material on what they think. We are waiting for the work with interest... After that, a very liberated and joyful, mass photo-taking started all over the yard, which seemed like it would never stop...
It is a great pleasure that our beneficiaries come to us and try to communicate: our French level is almost the same, so sometimes we succeed. Finally, at the end of the day, we taught each other: they taught me Bambara, strictly correcting my pronunciation and repeating the words to me several times, and I taught them Hungarian: then I died as they tried to pronounce the words silently with frowning concentration, then aloud, moving their mouths silently.
Today we have gone beyond the "thank you" and "hello" greetings. After the whole day's work and the heat, we returned to the accommodation completely energized, hoping that the trucks crossing the border today will also arrive soon - maybe by tomorrow evening.
In the evening, we continued the day's work again in the Sleeping Camel - but before that, we won the first place in the quiz game traditionally organized again in the garden room, with our French-Hungarian-Norwegian mixed team. Andi played a big role in West African music!